


Under Cold Light

by Briarwolf (Tru)



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Marauders' Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-07-11
Updated: 2004-07-11
Packaged: 2018-08-17 07:00:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8134618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tru/pseuds/Briarwolf
Summary: Remus is rarely happy when staring at the moon. Sirius wishes he could change that.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a challenge on the community formerly known as drabble_me on Livejournal. The challenge was to use the line, "Maybe it's too late to save you." The word count to aim for was 593. This work was also inspired by a piece of art titled "Helplessness" by Ponderosa, though the link I had for it was on Livejournal and I don't see it on their site at this time.

The moon was just short of full and Remus felt the all too familiar frission of dread in his chest as he stared out the window. Thin wrists poked out from the cuffs of his white shirt as he wrapped his arms around knees pulled close to his chest. He rubbed the side of his chin against the rough fabric of his trousers; his scars always seemed to itch on nights like this.

A soft sound caught his attention but he didn't move, he could recognize Sirius just by the quick, brash footsteps. From the corner of his eye he saw the lean body settle on the other side of the window seat, legs sprawled carelessly and face canted upward to stare at the moon.

“All right then, Remus?” Sirius asked quietly, long fingers splayed across the pane of glass.

“Not exactly,” Remus replied with a huff of almost bitter laughter. They played this scenario out nearly every month, and Remus was tired of trying to hide his fear.

Sirius turned his head, surprised at the departure from the usual assent. Remus wasn't quite ready to meet Sirius' eyes, so instead he stared at the fingers twined over his knees. He was surprised to see long fingers cover his own and feel the press of a palm against his skin, cool after being pressed to glass.

“What can I do?”

Remus had to smile at the question. It was just like Sirius to want to rush in and fix something he hadn't broken to begin with. Those mishaps that were his fault, well, those were another thing altogether.

Shaking his head, Remus extricated his fingers and began rolling up his sleeves, nervousness needing some physical outlet.

“It's rather too late to do anything about it now,” he said softly, resignation betrayed by the trembling fingers against the fabric of his shirt.

“Maybe it's too late to save you,” Sirius acknowledged, “but that doesn't mean you have to face it alone.”

Remus stilled, caught unprepared by the warm affection that stole through his chest. Hesitantly he looked up, wondering how that place inside him filled with blood and pain and helplessness could be so vulnerable to such simple words.

Sirius wasn't looking at him just then, he was staring up at the moon with an expression of rage and bitter pain. His jaw was tight, lips drawn into a thin line. Remus eased forward, brushing gentle fingertips across the hard bone and tense muscles. Strands of black hair feathered across the back of his hand as it lingered on a point just below Sirius' ear.

“It's okay,” he whispered as Sirius looked at him and Remus saw all of his own helplessness reflected back at him. “Just... Maybe just hold me for a little while?”

Sirius nodded, wordless, and Remus curled into the open space between Sirius' legs. His cheek lay against the soft fabric over Sirius' stomach, one hand clenched on Sirius' hip. The warmth of Sirius' body eased his trembling, and the knot of dread that had filled him loosened as Sirius rested a hand on his back.

It didn't let go entirely, but this time Remus gave himself permission to feel his fear rather than fighting it. Somehow, though he was still afraid, he felt braver, not quite so lost, when Sirius held him like this.

Carefully, Sirius stroked his hand over Remus' back, again staring out into the darkness. He thought that if he were as brave as Remus, he might be able to find a way to help him.


End file.
